


The 'Not Actually A Goodbye'

by scarletmanuka



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Episode: s02e16 The Long Goodbye, M/M, Miscommunication, Rare Pairings, Sexual Tension, Snark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:35:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25200235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletmanuka/pseuds/scarletmanuka
Summary: The first and last time that Rodney hooked up with Caldwell, the Colonel was host to a Goa'uld. While the base is under lockdown while Phebus and Thalen war with one another, Rodney tries to deal with the awkward aftermath of sleeping with a Goa'uld.
Relationships: Steven Caldwell/Rodney McKay
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34





	The 'Not Actually A Goodbye'

**Author's Note:**

> I was re-watching The Long Goodbye and the sexual tension between Rodney and Caldwell was insane. This is an exploration of that. Please note that a lot of dialogue is taken directly from the episode, which was written by Damian Kindler.

Rodney cursed his knees as he crawled under the pod they’d found in the Cohall System, ignoring the voices of his team as they spoke to Elizabeth, trying to get everything connected so he could get his equipment meshed with it. When he was done, he crawled out, saying, “Okay, I’m ready to crack her open.” He froze as he saw Steven Caldwell standing next to Elizabeth. “Hey,” he said, awkwardly, giving a stiff nod of his head.

Caldwell gave him a small smile and said, “Hello, Doctor,” and Rodney felt his stomach lurch. They stared at one another for a moment longer and then Rodney looked away, concentrating on his tablet. He hadn't expected to see Caldwell so soon and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

The last time that the Deadalus had been in Atlantis, Rodney and Caldwell had somehow ended up in bed together and it had been fantastic. Rodney had wondered at the time if it would become a regular thing whenever Caldwell’s ship was in port, but of course then it had been revealed that he was host to a Goa’uld and reality had come crashing down around Rodney’s ears. It was clear that the Goa’uld had seduced him in order to gain access to the one person who had access to all of Atlantis’ systems, and although Rodney hadn’t offered up any information, he figured that the Goa’uld had been planning to use him as a long term data mine if for some reason his plan was thwarted and Atlantis survived the Wraith attack or energy overload. Of course, the Goa'uld had been removed and Rodney hadn't realised how awkward their next meeting would be. The host remembered everything and he doubted that Caldwell was happy that Rodney had had sex with his body. He’d probably been kicking and screaming the entire time, revolted by the whole thing.

Deciding to try and distract the both of them from their previous assignation, Rodney hit a few buttons on his tablet and the lid of the pod slid open, revealing a very old woman. Carson bustled forward to do his thing and there was some back and forthing over the possibility of the woman being an Ancient and then of course, it all went sideways and a bright light zapped Elizabeth and she collapsed, being caught by both Sheppard and Caldwell. 

Rodney managed to avoid speaking directly to Caldwell while Phebus convinced them all to bring the other pod in so she could see her husband one final time, but he caught the Colonel watching him several times. Rodney wondered what he was thinking as around them everyone seemed caught up in the romance of the ages, feeling slightly uncomfortable with it all himself. He got that they had the opportunity to help two people say goodbye to one another but why had Phebus chosen Sheppard to be the one her husband imprinted on? He snorted to himself, not even having to think about the answer. Sheppard’s ‘Kirkness’ seemed to extend to dying old ladies as well as ancient hussies. Was there _anyone_ in Pegasus who didn't want to get in his pants? He didn't understand why Sheppard had agreed, but given that the possibility of the couple kissing was high, he supposed he would have jumped at the chance to kiss Elizabeth too.

It went pretty much as he expected - Thalen took over Sheppard’s body, Phebus explained what was going on, there was definitely a kiss...and then it all went horribly wrong, which really shouldn’t have been surprising. Rodney winced as Caldwell and Carson were both stunned, and held his hands up as Elizabeth - no, Phebus, walked towards him, stunner in hand. “Now radio security and tell them that everything is fine.”

Rodney tried but he'd never been very good at lying. Honestly, who would believe him that Caldwell was joking? The man might have the sexy swagger of Air Force Colonels everywhere but he wasn't known for his sense of humour. He hit the ground hard as the stunner hit him and everything went black.

“Rodney? Rodney, come on now, time to wake up.”

Rodney groaned and batted away the hand that was gently tapping his cheek. “Carson, get off,” he moaned.

“I need you up and moving, Doctor,” Caldwell said, not unkindly from where he was standing off to the side. “We have two alien entities with the knowledge of Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir loose in your city. I’m going to need your help to stop them.”

 _Your city._ Very few people realised how attached Rodney was to Atlantis, especially since she had opened up naturally for Sheppard. Rodney had worked tirelessly however to learn her systems, uncover her secrets, to restore her as best he could with the limited materials he had. He had put blood, sweat, and tears into Atlantis and over time she had started to respond to him too, seeming to understand not only the time and effort that he'd put in but also the passion. 

Caldwell had seen it too.

Warmth filled him but he pushed it away, trying not to read too much into it. Afterall, it was Carson who helped him to his feet, who placed a hand to the small of his back as he staggered once along the way to the control room. Caldwell strode purposefully ahead of them, and when he began issuing orders, Rodney figured he needed to make a stand. “Uh, look, I don't wanna get all, uh, chain of command on you here but, um, I am a senior member of this expedition, so with Elizabeth and Colonel Sheppard out of the equation, then …” He broke off at the withering look that Caldwell gave him.

“I’m in charge.”

“No, no, see, I-I don't think that's technically true, because you’re here for, like, what? About one week out of six? That doesn't -”

Caldwell cut him off. “Is it possible that because I was host to a Goa'uld, you don't trust me, Doctor?”

“I didn't say that.”

“I'm the highest ranking military officer here, and this is clearly a military situation. Does that clear things up for you?” He didn't give Rodney time to answer before he was turning away, barking orders to the troops.

“Fine,” Rodney muttered, then turned to a console to begin trying to track down Phebus and Thalen via the life signs detectors. 

After a while, Chuck called out to Caldwell that he was picking up radio chatter and they all paused to listen as the two aliens taunted each other.

“Well ... they're heading straight for divorce,” Carson said dryly.

“That whole thing was a ruse,” Caldwell said. “In fact, I doubt very much if we were ever speaking with Doctor Weir.”

“It was a remarkable impression, I'll give you that,” Rodney said, feeling rather chagrined at how easily they’d all been taken in.

“From the sound of it, we have two fighter pilots who don't know that their war is over,” Caldwell remarked.

Rodney looked at him incredulously. “It is much worse than that! They know everything about this city - the layout, defensive systems, how to access weapons!”

Caldwell watched him, expressionless. “We just need to find a way to stop them without unduly harming the hosts.”

“Unduly? What does that mean?” he demanded.

“Well, obviously, some force may be necessary,” Caldwell said, and as he turned away, Rodney caught a glimpse of regret in his eyes and he remembered that Caldwell had intimate knowledge of how true this was.

As Rodney turned back to the console, he saw Caldwell address Chuck. “Contact any teams that may be offworld and let them know that we're suspending all gate activity until further notice.” He looked around the room, eyes lingering on Rodney for a brief moment and then called, “We're going to full alert status.”

It was the only logical thing to do. Rodney turned once again to the life signs detector and cried, “I think I just located one of them near the Power Room!” Of course, that was the moment that everything went dark. “Oh, you have got to be kidding!”

Marines around them began to turn on flashlights, and Carson found one too, shining it directly in Rodney’s eyes before he turned it away. “What happened?” he asked.

Rodney blinked rapidly and tried not to roll his eyes, reminding himself that Carson didn’t get off world often and didn't have as much experience as he did at things going pear shaped during missions. “The whole city just went dark!” He sighed, and turned to Caldwell. “Oh, tell me you had someone guarding the Power Room.” It came out a little more snappish than he had intended and Caldwell’s response was curt as well.

“Two marines from the Daedalus.” He hit his headset and said, “Hutchinson, this is Caldwell, report.”

Nothing.

Rodney saw the flicker of worry cross Caldwell’s face and spared a moment to wonder just when exactly he’d gotten so good at reading the man. He barely knew him, and one night of sex, no matter how good it was, didn't make him an expert. Doubly so since it had really been the Goa’uld he'd been with (and that thought was more than enough to make his testicles want to crawl up inside him and never come back out).

“Where's auxiliary power?” Caldwell asked Chuck.

“Naqahdah generators aren't kicking in, sir. He or she must have damaged the back-ups.”

“We've lost everything?”

Unable to refrain from stating the obvious, Rodney said, “Shields, communications, long range and biometric sensors.”

“The sensors from the Daedalus,” Caldwell said, “we can contact them.”

“Subspace communications are also down,” Rodney snapped.

“I need for you to get down to the Power Room, Doctor. Restore primary systems.”

“I should go along too,” Carson said. “Marines could be hurt.”

Rodney had quite a bit of mission experience under his belt but he didn’t feel comfortable putting himself in danger without his team to back him up. “Exactly! Marines may have been injured. We can't go down there!”

Caldwell was beginning to develop an expression that Rodney was only all too familiar with - he looked like he wanted to strangle him. “I will send two of my people along with you just in case,” he said from between clenched teeth.

“Well, how do we know that Sheppard isn't down there waiting in ambush?”

“Because he's not trying to kill us, he's trying to kill Doctor Weir,” Carson said helpfully.

“Oh, that is so much more comforting!”

That was the last straw for Caldwell. “This is not a request, Doctor McKay!” he thundered, startling them all. He took a breath, got himself under control and added, “Let me know the moment you have a damage assessment.”

It was the most inopportune moment to get a semi but something about the sheer force of command in Caldwell’s tone made Rodney’s dick take notice. He turned quickly before anyone noticed and waved irritably at the marines. “Let’s go!”

~~~~~

The walk to the Power Room was uneventful and by the time they got there, Rodney’s rogue erection was gone. Why did the man have to be so damn sexy? At a glance he might not seem overly appealing, what with the flight suit that was essentially an adult onesie and less hair than even Rodney had, but if you took a closer look, Caldwell’s _presence_ hit you. He oozed confidence, and not in the slinky, loose limbed way that Sheppard did, but in a ‘I know exactly what I’m doing and it can either go very badly for you or very, very well’ way. His deep brown eyes could cut to the bone or fill you with warmth, depending on his mood, and under that onesie was a solid, muscular frame that Rodney had mapped out with his tongue. 

As Carson ran to check on the injured marines, Rodney traipsed morosely over to the ZPM casing and control systems, the latter that was damaged by what looked to be P-90 fire. He’d never thought of Caldwell in a romantic way in the past but now that he’d slept with him - with his body at least - it was all he could think of. He wanted him again, no matter how much they snarked at each other, but of course, it was very doubtful that that would ever happen. What was the saying? You didn't know what you had until it was gone? Rodney just wished he’d had a little _more_ of it before he’d lost it.

Dragging his thoughts back to their present predicament, Rodney pulled the ZPM out and sighed in relief. It was in one piece at least. He tapped his radio and hailed Caldwell, finding it slightly easier to talk to him while not face to face. “Caldwell, this is McKay.”

_“Go ahead, Doctor.”_

“Well, the good news is the ZPM is still intact.

_“And the bad?”_

“Well, the control system's been damaged by some well-placed weapons fire.”

_“How soon 'til it's operational again?”_

What was it with Colonels who thought that Rodney could fix something with the wave of a magic wand? “I just got here! I have no idea!” he snapped.

 _“Report when you can,”_ Caldwell stated, not sounding the least bit put out by Rodney’s tone.

The fight drained out of him. “Right,” he said, sighing, then got back to work. 

Carson finished up checking over the marines, but with only two others acting as guards for them, no one dared to split up to transfer them to the infirmary. “Not much good it would do them anyway,” Carson told him. “Not without power, anyway.”

“Will they be okay?” Rodney asked, glancing over at them.

“Aye, they were only stunned,” Carson said and grinned at him.

Rodney paused from rewiring the fibre optic cables under the control station. “I know different people handle stressful situations differently,” he said slowly, “but grinning maniacally is odd, even for you.”

Carson slapped him on the arm. “I am _not_ grinning maniacally,” he protested. “I am merely happy that you have started to care about others who are not your team."

“I’m not a monster!” Rodney said, slightly hurt.

“I never said you were, Rodney,” Carson assured him, “but even you can admit that concern for others hasn’t always been a priority of yours.”

He flushed and looked away, aware more than anyone of his shortcomings. He had changed, for the better since joining Sheppard’s team and found himself feeling ashamed when recalling his previous actions.

He was saved by responding by his radio going off.

 _“McKay, report please,”_ came Caldwell’s voice.

“Still working,” he ground out. It appeared that all Colonels also expected miracles performed immediately.

_“It doesn't have to be pretty, Doctor, just get the primary systems up and running again.”_

“Yeah, that’s what I'm doing.”

“Instead of running after them with bloody guns, why don't you try talking to them?” Carson interrupted.

 _“And say what?”_ Rodney could picture the expression Caldwell would have on his face right now.

“I don't know, just stall them. We know it's only a matter of time before Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard are themselves again.”

_“I'll take that under advisement, Doctor. In the meantime, I think you should return to the Infirmary. I'm sending you a patient.”_

“On my way,” he said, immediately in doctor mode. He touched Rodney’s shoulder and said, “Rodney, I could use some light down there as well.”

It appeared that everyone expected a miracle. “Yes, working!” he cried, and watched as the marines split up, one of them to escort Carson and the other to remain with him.

As he turned back to his makeshift repairs, a sliver of worry wormed through him. Who had been hurt? He hoped it wasn’t one of his team, but he hadn’t heard from any of them since this had started and Caldwell was keeping communications locked down to a secure channel. He knew that Teyla and Ronon were more than capable of taking care of themselves but they were all separated, unable to watch each other’s backs. Rodney always felt better when they were all together.

~~~~~

It took longer than he'd hoped but finally Rodney got the repairs finished. They wouldn’t hold up for long and they _definitely_ weren’t pretty, but they would do the job. He tapped his radio and said, “Colonel Caldwell, I'm ready to attempt a partial power-up.”

_“Give me everything you've got, Doctor. I have a report of automatic weapons fire and Teyla's not answering her radio.”_

His gut clenched in fear. Not Teyla, nothing could happen to Teyla. “Here we go,” he said, hitting the controls to lower the ZPM. The room lit up at once as power was restored.

 _“Excellent work, Doctor,”_ Caldwell said over the radio and warmth blossomed in Rodney’s chest at the praise, overriding the fear just a little. _“Return to the Control Room ASAP.”_

“On my way,” he replied, and he jogged out of the room, followed by the marine from the Deadalus. He didn't even know the man’s name. 

He reached the Control Room and as soon as he walked inside, the door closed behind him, locking. 

“Now what the hell's going on?” Caldwell demanded.

“I don't know,” Chuck said, starting to sound a little less unflappable than he usually did. “Sections of the city have begun automatically sealing themselves off.” He spun around to look at one of the other laptops, but Rodney pushed him out of the way, needing Chuck at the main control panel.

“Move,” he ordered, and began running a diagnostic.

“It's not letting me override,” Caldwell stated as he tried typing his own command code into his console. 

“Because the moment the power came back up, she used a remote computer terminal to take control of the city,” Rodney told him, wishing that it hadn’t been Elizabeth that Phebus had zapped into. “She's put us into a total lockdown under her command code.”

“Can you invalidate her code?” Caldwell asked, but his tone indicated that he expected Rodney to do so.

“Maybe I could have before the lockdown but the command's already been given.” He folded his arms in a huff. “Look, somebody should have thought of that, huh?”

Caldwell glared at him. “You mean I should've thought of that.”

Rodney raised a brow, letting his expression answer for him. You didn't get to be a pilot without having brains, and you definitely didn’t get into a position of command without being even more intelligent so Rodney knew that Caldwell had smarts. He just wished that these flyboys would _use_ their brains instead of relying on him to fix their mistakes.

“Can you hack it? Somehow override her code?” Caldwell asked.

He snorted. “You do know who you're talking to?”

He didn't think he was imagining the twitch of Caldwell’s lips as he said, “So that's a yes?”

“I'm just saying, if anyone can, I can. I helped design the system.”

“Then do it, please.”

One of the things that Rodney had always liked about Caldwell was that no matter how angry he got, or how stressful the situation was, he was always polite. Rodney’s inner Canadian wanted to push him against the console and kiss the daylights out of him. Since it wasn’t exactly appropriate right now, and he was fairly certain that Caldwell wanted to forget that their night together had ever happened, he said instead, “Alright, but I'm using my command code.”

He didn't imagine the slight flinch at his words. “Why?” Caldwell asked, his voice steady, and if Rodney hadn’t been looking directly at him, he would never have seen it. “'cause you still don't trust me?”

Sheppard’s words from their time on the Aurora rang in his head.

 _“What’s the matter, Colonel? Don't trust me?”_ Rodney had asked, half joking.

Sheppard had looked at him with steel in his eyes and had said, _“No,”_ with so much conviction that Rodney was left with no doubt that it was true.

He knew what it was like to have lost someone’s trust, how that felt. Despite the Goa’uld, despite the argument over command, despite the butting of heads, Rodney trusted Caldwell. “No,” he said, refuting Caldwell’s assumption, “because it is a sixteen digit alphanumeric code that I will have to enter God knows how many times, and I haven't got around to memorising yours yet.”

Caldwell didn’t do anything to indicate that he’d gotten the message but Rodney knew he had. “Just get me control of the city back.”

“Fine.”

The general radio channel activated and they all heard Phebus say, _“Caldwell. Can you hear me?”_

Rodney exchanged a look with Caldwell before the Colonel said, “Go ahead.”

_“By now you're aware the city is entirely under my control, and there are several bulkhead doors between me and your nearest search teams. You can't possibly get to me.”_

“Yes, we're well aware,” Caldwell said, primly.

Phebus sounded smug as she said, _“I'm sure Doctor McKay believes he can override my command code, and it's possible in a matter of several hours he could, but I don't have that kind of time.”_

“We'd be more than happy to wait this out.”

Rodney suppressed a snort at Caldwell’s sarcasm.

_“Now who knows what kind of trouble I could cause with life support while I wait? Or maybe I'll just send a signal to the Wraith, like you did.”_

Rodney could tell that that had been a direct hit. “What do you want?” Caldwell asked, his voice remaining steady.

 _“I want Sheppard.”_ Phebus said, meaning she wanted Thalen.

“Well, I'm sorry I can't help you with that. Is there something else I can do for you?”

He’d succeeded in pissing her off. _“Don't screw with me, Caldwell. At the very least, I can kill Weir. When you get him, contact me.”_

The radio went dead and silence fell over the room. “Come on, people.” Caldwell snapped, “we’re running out of time.”

Rodney left Chuck to try to locate Shappard and went back to trying to find a backdoor into the command codes so he could override Elizabeth’s code. He listened with half an ear as they located Teyla and she went after Sheppard, and he winced when she reported that she had him. His team leader would be very sore tomorrow.

Caldwell looked over at him and made eye contact. “The next move is hers.”

Rodney swallowed hard and nodded.

It was only a few minutes later when Phebus contacted them again. _“Caldwell? Do you have him or not? I'm losing patience.”_

“I'm working,” Rodney said curtly to Caldwell’s enquiring look.

“We're working on it,” Caldwell told her smoothly.

 _“I don't buy it, Colonel,”_ Phebus said.

“I'm telling the truth.”

 _“Oh, please! Even Weir thinks you're hopeless,”_ Phebus said with a laugh. _“She can't hide it.”_

Even for Rodney, that was a low blow.

Caldwell covered his momentary shock with a cool air of professionalism. “We're close.”

“We're not close,” Rodney hissed.

What Phebus said next made Rodney’s blood run cold. _“I have found an interesting way of rerouting your new halon fire suppression system all the way from Hazmat storage to personnel quarters.”_

Rodney and Caldwell stared at each other, horrified.

 _“Now, that's where the majority of your city's population is holed up, isn't it?”_ Phebus said, sounding gleeful.

“You know it is,” the Colonel said, managing to keep his voice steady.

_“Ironically, Doctor Weir was concerned when the system was installed that halon gas extinguishes people as well as fires. So, shall we take it to the point that I start counting down from an arbitrary number?”_

They all knew it was over. “We have him,” Caldwell conceded.

 _“I thought you might,”_ Phebus purred. _“There's a new security camera on the northernmost stairwell of that part of the tower. I want him taken there so that I can see him. Kicking and screaming, if possible.”_

Teyla had heard the communication and advised that she would do as they were told, and Caldwell crossed to Rodney and leaned down close to him. Rodney tried to ignore the spicy scent of his cologne, as well as the memory of the last time their faces were so close together. “Are you making any progress?” he asked.

“Yes,” Rodney said, rolling his eyes and hoping that Caldwell would mistake his arousal for irritation.

“Really?” He didn't sound convinced and the puff of warm air across Rodney’s face did nothing to help the tightness that was occuring in his pants.

Falling back on his standard, caustic response was the only way that Rodney could regain control. “I would just like to state for the record that it is astounding to me that, once again, I find myself in a position of having to save this city when you and your ... space marines can't figure out how to track down two people!”

“They're two people with the skills and resources of Doctor Weir and Colonel Sheppard, who probably know this city better than anyone else,” he said quietly, not moving an inch, still close to Rodney’s face. “And also for the record, I was against this from the very beginning.”

“Yes!” Rodney exclaimed, then realised what had just happened. “Y...yes you were,” he conceded.

Caldwell’s mouth softened just a little and he said, “Thank you.” He waved at the console. “Please, continue.”

“Sir,” Chuck called to Caldwell, “I have Colonel Sheppard on my screen.”

Caldwell walked over to the screen, leaving Rodney to turn back to what he was doing but he listened to the chatter with one ear.

 _“Wrong again,”_ Thalen was saying to Phebus. _“Still hatred.”_

 _“I guess I'm satisfied with this. Teyla?”_ Phebus said.

_“Yes?”_

_“Kill him.”_

Rodney’s heart missed a beat and then he began typing furiously once more, trying to find that cursed backdoor.

 _“Don't listen to her!”_ Thalen cried, but all Rodney could hear was _Sheppard._

 _“Kill him now, or I vent halon fire suppressant into all the living spaces in Atlantis,”_ Phebus commanded.

“McKay?” Caldwell called, urgently.

“I know, I know. I'm almost done here,” Rodney said.

 _“Colonel, can she do this?”_ Teyla asked Caldwell.

“Yes,” Chuck confirmed. “She's created a shunt between the fire suppressant system and life support.”

“I believe so,” Caldwell told Teyla.

 _“How many people are at risk?”_ she asked, and Rodney knew that she would be shouldering the responsibility, weighing up the cost of human life. It was what made her such a great leader.

“Three-quarters of the expedition,” Caldwell informed her quietly.

 _“Why are you doing this?”_ Teyla demanded, and Rodney figured that she was speaking to Phebus.

 _“I have spent my entire life at war with his world. Thousands have died with no hope for victory, both sides reduced to a mere handful of fighters. If he really is the last, then in the end my people will have won,”_ Phebus said.

 _“Don't believe her!”_ Thalen cried.

 _Come on, come on, nearly there,_ Rodney said to himself, lost in the code,

 _“Believe me when I say I have absolutely nothing to lose,”_ Phebus said, coldly. _“In a very short time, I will feel excruciating pain, this body will convulse, and I will cease to exist. That's what is ahead for me. All I can hope for now is to achieve victory for my people.”_

 _“Phebus, your people are long dead,”_ Teyla pleaded. _“Who lost or won a war so many years ago does not matter.”_

_“It matters to me.”_

_“If you kill me, you're killing him. He cares for you more than you know,”_ Thalen told Teyla.

Rodney’s head snapped up, startled. He’d always wondered if there was something between Sheppard and Teyla.

 _“Please do not make me do this,”_ Teyla begged.

 _“You don't have to!”_ Thelan said.

 _“Shoot him,”_ Phebus commanded, _“or I release the gas and just hope it reaches the both of you.”_

“She has the capability of doing what she claims. Teyla,” Caldwell said, then paused. “I'm not gonna tell you what to do.” 

Rodney knew what turning over command of the situation would have cost Caldwell, and he felt a surge of pride for the Colonel fill him.

 _“I am,”_ Phebus shouted. _“Kill him!”_

Rodney turned around and his eyes met Caldwell’s. A brief moment of shared helplessness passed between them before Rodney turned back to his laptop and rifled through the code.

 _“Sheppard doesn't believe you'll do it,”_ Thelan said softly.

 _“Forgive me, John,”_ Teyla said in a choked voice.

Rodney’s computer beeped and he cried,”I've got it! I'm overriding her code now!”

“Are you sure?” Caldwell asked.

“It's done! Go!”

“Teyla, this is Caldwell. Do not fire! I repeat, do not fire!” Caldwell barked into the radio. Rodney watched the screen, saw Teyla slump and drop the nose of her P-90 to the ground. “Can you maintain the lockdown on the science lab, keep Weir where she is?” Caldwell asked him.

“Nope,” Rodney said, regretfully. “The only way to do it is to override everything. Nobody's in control now. She is long gone.”

“All security teams, this is Caldwell. Resume your search for Doctor Weir.”

Rodney fell back in his chair, breathing hard, as if he’d just run a marathon. Teyla’s voice came over the radio, crying, _“He is going into convulsions!”_ She could only be speaking of Sheppard.

“Do not release him, no matter what happens!” Caldwell told her, and turned to leave the control room. He suddenly turned back and crossed the three steps to Rodney. He clasped his shoulder for a brief moment. “Good job, Doctor,” he said, his eyes warm. “We’ll speak, later.”

It almost sounded like a promise.

~~~~~

Rodney was kept busy with repairs for the rest of the day but when everything major was fixed, he stopped by the infirmary on the way to his quarters. Sheppard was sitting up in bed, playing one of his hand held games. Elizabeth was out cold in the bed beside him. “Hey,” Rodney said from the doorway, giving a little wave.

“McKay,” Sheppard said, and then he smiled. “Looks like I’ve got you to thank for saving the day once again, huh?”

Rodney preened a little and came a little closer to the bed. “It was a very late save, but yes, I managed to override the codes and end the lockdown.”

Sheppard looked him in the eye and smiled, then said, “That’s why I trust you to have my back.”

He swallowed, his throat tight, and nodded. He thought they were back to the status quo finally after Doranda but it was nice to hear it said out loud. It looked like he still had his best friend. Not wanting to embarrass both of them by talking about feelings, Rodney changed the subject and tilted his head at Elizabeth. “Has the imprinting worn off as yet?”

Sheppard shook his head. “Nope, not yet. Carson had to sedate her since she kept trying to get free and was yelling about killing us all.”

“Ah, well, yes, I can see why a sedative was needed,” Rodney said, and waved around the room. “Death threats aren’t all that conducive to helping people recover.” He looked around but couldn't see Ronon anywhere. “Speaking of recovering, where’s the big man?”

“Ronon?” Sheppard asked. “He’s in the iso room that Beckett keeps people in post op.”

“I see. Will he be okay?”

“Oh yeah, Doc says he’ll make a full recovery.”

“Good, that’s good.”

“I’ll tell him you dropped by when I see him,” Sheppard promised. “Hey, McKay?”

“Yeah?”

“No offence, but you look like shit.”

Rodney bristled at this. “Well, I’m sorry that we can’t all come out the other side of a crisis looking like a surfer Ken doll!”

Sheppard rolled his eyes. “I just meant that you look dead on your feet. Why don’t you go and get some sleep?”

He deflated instantly. “Yes, well, I was on my way to bed already, I just wanted to stop by on my way.”

“Good. Sleep well, buddy.”

“You too,” he said, then turned and left.

Rodney had just finished pulling on sleep pants and an old t-shirt after his shower when the door chimed. He sighed, just wanting to crawl into bed, but figured that it might be important. He opened the door and did a double take when he saw Caldwell standing there.

“Doctor, may I come in?”

“Sure,” Rodney said, stepping back automatically to allow him entry. When the door closed, they stood there, with Rodney trying to look anywhere but at Caldwell. His eyes fell on his bed and flashes of Caldwell’s last visit popped into his head. He gulped and finally managed to make eye contact. “So, uh, what can I do for you?”

“Can I be blunt, Doctor?” he asked.

 _Here it comes,_ Rodney thought morosely. “Of course, I wouldn’t expect anything otherwise.”

“You seem to be uncomfortable in my presence,” Caldwell said. “I’m guessing it has to do with what happened last time?”

“You could say that,” Rodney muttered.

Caldwell looked...hurt? “I’d expected better from you, Doctor,” he said, stiffly.

Rodney’s hackles rose. “Well excuse me if I’m a little on edge after _sleeping with a Goa’uld!”_ he finished, shouting. “I _thought_ I was having sex with _you,_ but no, it turns out I was just being used by a snake all along. Besides the utter humiliation I’m suffering, knowing that it wasn’t you who wanted me in the first place, I now have to suffer through the awkward proverbial morning after with someone who didn't even consent!” He ran out of steam and sank down onto the edge of the bed. “So I’m sorry if I’m feeling _uncomfortable_ around you,” he whispered.

“I think,” Caldwell said, taking a seat next to Rodney, “that we both seem to have the wrong end of the stick.”

“Oh?”

He smiled a little and his eyes lit up. Rodney could get lost in their depths for hours. “Yes. It seems that you think that I didn't want you, and I was thinking that you were disgusted by the fact that I had been a host to a Goa’uld.”

Rodney frowned. “I’d never hold that against you,” he told him. “I know you had no choice.”

“No, I didn’t,” Caldwell said. “However, the Goa'uld picked up on my desire for you and twisted it to suit his own purposes. He didn’t get anything from it in the end, but I must say, it wasn’t how I wished our first time had been.”

“First time?” Rodney asked, feeling hopeful. “That kinda sounds like you want there to be other times as well, Colonel.”

Caldwell very deliberately placed his hand on Rodney’s knee. “Do you think that you could maybe call me Steven when we’re alone?”

Rodney swallowed and nodded. “Sure, I could do that, uh, Steven. Maybe you could call me by my first name as well?”

Caldwell’s - no, _Steven’s_ \- lips twitched and he said, “Okay...Meredith.”

Rodney squawked and thumped Steven on the arm as he laughed. “Don’t you dare! How did you even know about that?”

Steven grinned. “I’ve read your file, Rodney.”

“Hmph, fine, that’s a little better.”

“Does this make it even more so?” Steven asked and he leaned in and pressed their lips together. 

Rodney all but melted into the kiss, and he clutched at Steven’s arms to make sure he wouldn’t go anywhere. He wasn’t feeling remotely tired anymore, but he _did_ want to get into bed. “Up, up,” he ordered, pulling away.

Steven simply moved his lips down Rodney’s jaw and down his neck. “Hmmm?”

“Come on, Steven, I need skin. Let’s get you out of this onesie.”

Steven pulled away and raised an eyebrow at him. “Did you just call my flight suit a _onesie?_ ” he asked, incredulously.

“Um...maybe? Did I say that out loud?” Rodney asked.

Steven laughed and got to his feet, towering over Rodney who was still seated. “Yes, Rodney, you did. But, since you want me out of it…” And he reached up and slowly, teasingly, began to lower his zipper. Rodney watched, enraptured as the zip opened, revealing a white undershirt, and then a pair of blue, cotton boxers. 

He may have whined. “I believe I was promised skin?”

Steven laughed, and Rodney took a moment to appreciate the sound. When the Goa’uld was using his body, it hadn't laughed at all, and their lovemaking had been fast and furious. He was rather enjoying this more relaxed, humorous Colonel. “Did you expect me to be commando underneath?” he asked, leaving the zipper several inches from the end. He placed a knee between Rodney’s and pushed him back on the bed, and leaned over him to lick a stripe up Rodney’s throat. 

“It may be one of my fantasies,” Rodney admitted.

Steven gave a throaty chuckle. “I’ll keep that in mind for my next visit,” he said, and then caught Rodney’s lips for another kiss. When Steven pushed his tongue between Rodney’s lips, he opened eagerly, happy to deepen the kiss. He let his hands drop lower and lower down Steven’s back until he had two handfuls of a muscular ass.

“Oh, God,” he whimpered, squeezing it.

“Saying that was more of a turn on for the Goa’uld,” Steven murmured.

“Christ,” Rodney swore. “Can we please stop bringing up the fact that I’ve had sex with one of them?”

There was that throaty chuckle again. “Does it help if I was enjoying everything you did? It was the one bright part of the whole experience.”

Rodney reached up and cupped Steven’s cheek. “Would you have made a move? If it had been you?”

“Maybe not during that visit,” Steven admitted, “but I was working my way up to it.”

“What was holding you back?”

He smirked. “Maybe it was the fact that in between the snarky comments and questions about my intelligence, I wasn’t all that sure that you were attracted to me.”

Rodney flushed. “Well, I…”

Steven cut him off with a kiss. “Don’t worry, Rodney. I figured it out when you kissed me back last time.”

“That was a hell of a risk for you to take,” Rodney pointed out. “Given that ridiculous uniform code your employers have.”

Steven moved his lips to Rodney’s ear and nibbled on his lobe. He felt him shrug. “I figured that even if you weren’t interested, you didn’t seem like the sort to report me, and besides, the SGC is a little more lax than other branches of the military.”

“Well, I don’t even know what you were worried about - have you seen yourself lately?” Rodney asked. “You’re sex on legs!”

Steven snorted. “Whatever you say.”

Rodney frowned. “I _do_ say. Now, I believe we were getting naked?”

“I do believe we were.” Steven climbed off of him and quickly stripped out of his flight suit, revealing a well muscled chest, covered in a spattering of greying hair, and a thick cock, curving up over a flat stomach. 

Rodney enjoyed the view. “Very nice,” he said.

“For an old man.”

“Oh, stop it. You’re about to have sex with a pudgy, pale scientist. I think of the two of us, you have the least to be worried about.”

“If I recall correctly from last time, you don’t have anything to be worried about,” Steven assured him.

Rodney sat up on the bed and stripped off his shirt, then kicked off his sleep pants. “Can we both agree to leave the self deprecating comments alone then? I’d really rather get to the sex part if we could.”

Steven smiled and climbed back on the bed, lowering his body on top of Rodney’s. “Agreed,” he murmured and kissed him again.

Rodney had always enjoyed kissing and Steven was one of the best kissers that he’d met. They were both hard and as they kissed, they rocked their bodies together, both groaning at the friction. Rodney reached down again, getting his hands on the bare skin of that fantastic ass and kneaded it. He whimpered when Steven moved away, breaking his hold.

“Shhh,” Steven said, making his way down the bed, “Let me.” And he took the head of Rodney’s cock into his mouth, twirling his tongue around it.

Rodney’s hips bucked and he cried out, “Fuck, that feels so good!”

Steven hummed happily and took him even deeper, using one hand to roll Rodney’s balls gently. Rodney couldn’t reach him all that well so he used his hands on himself, pinching and twisting his nipples, that had always been rather sensitive. Steven’s other hand dropped lower, stroking between his cheeks, and Rodney shamelessly spread his legs. Letting Rodney’s cock drop from his mouth for a moment, Steven sucked his fingers into his mouth and then moved the wet digits back to Rodney’s ass. He circled the entrance for a moment, taking his cock back into his mouth, and then he pushed one of his fingers inside. 

The sensations from his nipples, cock, balls, and ass being worked were all too much for Rodney and he felt his balls draw up. “Shit, shit, I’m gonna come!” he warned, and Steven pulled away, moving the hand from Rodney’s balls to his shaft and he stroked him roughly. 

“Yes, that’s it, Rodney, come for me.”

“Oh, fuck!” Rodney cried and began to orgasm, sending thick ropes of come splattering over his stomach.

“You look so good when you come,” Steven murmured, gentling his strokes as he worked Rodney through his aftershocks.

“Oh, wow,” Rodney said as Steven finally let him go, “that was so good.” He looked up and grinned lazily, feeling utterly spent. “Come on me?” he asked, appealing to Steven’s possessive side.

Steven’s eyes darkened and he scrambled up the bed to kneel above Rodney. He began working his cock, his eyes locked on Rodney’s face the whole time. They didn’t speak, just watched one another and it wasn't long before Steven’s hips were bucking and he was painting Rodney’s chest and neck with his come. Once he was finished he slumped down next to Rodney and threw an arm over him, not caring about the mess. “Jesus fucking Christ, you’re gonna kill me,” he said. “That was one of the hottest things anyone has ever said to me.”

Rodney smiled smugly. “I thought you’d like it.” He figured Steven _needed_ it, needed a reminder that this time had been _him_ not just his body. Rodney tilted his neck to one side. “I’m happy for you to mark me too, if you want.”

Steven didn’t hesitate and he latched onto Rodney’s throat, sucking a bruise at the juncture where his shoulder met his neck. It was low enough that Rodney could hide it under his uniform if need be but if anyone was looking, they’d know he was taken. 

“I’m all sticky,” Rodney complained once Steven was happy with his work.

“Do you want another shower?” Steven asked.

“I guess, but only if you’ll stay the night? If you’re going to leave me, I might just keep the mess to prove to myself in the morning that I wasn't dreaming this.”

“Well considering you’d probably be grumpy if you woke up in the morning with dried come all over you, I think it would be best for everyone if I simply stayed,” Steven said with a grin.

Rodney laughed and leaned in for a kiss. “Thank you,” he whispered, “for not giving up on me.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Steven whispered back, then he stood and pulled Rodney from the bed so they could head to the bathroom.

By the time they were done in the shower, they were messy once more.

Neither of them cared.


End file.
